About

Faros is a Christian non-profit organization that provides care and humanitarian support to unaccompanied refugee children and youth, as well as refugee families with children in Athens, Greece. In our work, we are committed to professionalism, accountability, and transparency. Faros is supported by individuals, institutional donors, foundations, as well as local and international church communities.

Faros started from a single observation. In 2011, our co-founder, Patricia Kirk, noticed a 14-year old, unaccompanied, Afghan boy sleeping alone in one of Athens’ public parks. “His face had a lifeless expression. He was utterly invisible,” she recalls. Patricia had already spent months researching child protection in Southern Europe and was deeply moved, realizing that there was a lack of outreach and protection services for unaccompanied children. She decided to act together with co-founder Dan Biswas and through our local partner, the Presbytarian Church of Exarchia, and with support from International Aid Services and Danish church communities Faros was established in 2014.

Faros’ name translates to ‘lighthouse’ in Greek: a sign that one is nearing a safe haven. “The dream was to start a place where refugee children could find a caring environment and professional help, discover their worth, and find hope for the future”, Patricia says.

Our vision is to protect refugee children and youth, help them realize their full potential, and guide them in the direction of a better future. Compassion, respect, encouragement, friendship, and integrity are core values that unite us and shape our approach to helping refugee children.

We help unaccompanied children and refugee youth find safety, discover their worth, and build a future perspective. We work holistically and take responsibility for each refugee child and youth and provide individual tailored care. Through this we wish to see every unaccompanied child and refugee youth live with dignity and hope and to be equipped to make a positive change in society.